Make New Year's goals. Dig within, and discover what you would

Hear the voice of Melody Beattie, who gave this counsel to all who would live with intention: “Make New Year’s goals. Dig within, and discover what you would like to have happen in your life this year. This helps you do your part. It is an affirmation that you’re interested in fully living life in the year to come.” These words are not merely about lists written on a calendar’s first page; they are about the courage to look within, to plant seeds of destiny, and to declare to the universe: I will live, not drift.

The meaning of this saying lies in the sacred act of setting intention. A goal is not merely a wish cast into the wind; it is the shaping of the will, the aligning of heart and mind toward purpose. To “dig within” is to refuse the shallow surfaces of life, to turn inward where the quiet truth of desire and calling waits to be heard. Only when we face our deepest longings with honesty can we name what we hope the year will bring. And in naming it, we begin to shape it.

The origin of such wisdom lies in the ancient traditions of renewal. Every culture has marked the turning of time with ritual: the Romans honored Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings, who looked both backward and forward; the Chinese marked the new year with feasts, fire, and vows; even the simplest village lit fires in the dark of winter to honor the rebirth of the sun. To make New Year’s goals is to stand in that long line of humanity, to affirm that we are not beasts carried by instinct, but beings who choose, who direct, who seek growth.

Consider the story of Benjamin Franklin. Each year, he resolved to cultivate virtues, drawing up a list of thirteen qualities such as temperance, humility, and industry, and tracking his progress daily. These were not casual resolutions, but living affirmations of his desire to improve both himself and the world. Though imperfect in keeping them, his practice became a foundation for his greatness. Franklin shows us the truth of Beattie’s words: goals are not chains, but tools for becoming.

Beattie’s wisdom also reminds us that to set goals is to proclaim faith in life itself. Many drift into the new year weary, defeated by past failures, convinced that tomorrow will be as heavy as yesterday. But when one sets a goal, even a small one, it is a declaration of hope: I believe my life can still grow, that the year ahead is not closed to me. It is an affirmation of engagement, of choosing to participate in the unfolding of one’s destiny rather than to be a passive spectator.

The lesson for us is clear: do not fear the act of resolution. Even if you fail, even if the goal is not fully met, the striving itself carves growth into your soul. To live without goals is to sleep through the year; to live with them, even imperfectly, is to awaken. The act of naming what you desire is itself a sacred contract between you and life.

Therefore, let us act with courage and honesty. As the year turns, let each one of us dig within, stripping away the noise of the world until we hear what our heart truly longs for. Let us write our New Year’s goals not in arrogance, but in humility, as promises to ourselves and affirmations of our will to live. And let us return to them often, not as burdens, but as guiding stars. For as Melody Beattie has taught us, to set goals is to declare: I choose to live this year with purpose, with joy, and with the fullness of life itself.